Britain Today?

How does one see this great nation today? Sliced like a pizza into England, Wales, and Scotland etc.? And, what are the present ingredients? Have they changed and does it now taste like junglee pulao – an Indian dish made of rice with vegetables and various meats cooked together – tasting of everything and nothing in particular?

Has the vibrant “English” ethos been substituted by chutney English and draped by the attire of distant lands? And has the social graces been turned into a jamboree of mob mentality?

And do tourists still throng the metropolis, London, to see the Queen and her jewels ?

Much has changed over the years and as the footfalls of history die away into the raucous sound of many tongues there beats a sound though ever so faint of a land that ruled a major part of the world. A land that gave its language and customs to many and in return brought home the tobacco and potatoes…among other things.

As news seeps through the potholes of humanity in seed one reads of changing times…times that bring with it strange goings on and eruptions of insensibility, confrontations between languages, faiths and social customs that go beyond the pale.

People have spoken of days gone by when Britain was Britain and not another province of the East. They have rummaged among their memories and brought forth many beautiful and haunting images of a nation that held its head with pride and fortitude. Some argue that this still remains albeit in the cracks in the pavements worn out by the constant ebb and flow of immigrants.

What makes Britain today?

Language they say…language…without the English language how would the world communicate in Britain and elsewhere? Others announce with authority that it’s sports – cricket and football. While, the joker in the pack candidly remarks that it is, immigration.

So are we to assume that Britain has finally become a rainbow nation? A nation pinioned to cross cultural fertilisation and diluted by ‘foreigners’ who have immersed themselves through the process of osmosis?

A stiff upper lip has been replaced by a Molotov cocktail. The ‘Queue’ factor has been dispensed with for the good ol push and shove. And education is now the preserve of ‘foreigners’ and those with money.

But is this what Britain has finally become?

No, it simply makes Britain a nation in transition – A nation that is fighting with itself. And all the stated opinions above are merely symptoms of what is really going on – transformation of a national identity into an international one.

If anything these are exciting times which are not for the faint hearted or weak kneed.